Cats

Vaccinations

Cats need vaccinations to protect them against cat flu (herpes virus and calici virus), feline enteritis and feline leukaemia. Kittens can start their vaccinations at 9 weeks of age and need 2 injections 3 weeks apart, followed by a yearly booster.

All pets coming to us for vaccinations receive a full health check with a vet. Kittens also receive a free dose of flea and worm treatment and a kitten pack including a cover note for 4 weeks of free insurance with Petplan.

Parasite control

Kittens will become infected with roundworms from their mother’s milk, and once they start going outside, there are many more parasites they can get. Fleas and ticks can hop on, tapeworms can be acquired from fleas, roundworms and tapeworms from hunting and lungworm from hunting or eating a snail or slug.

We have a variety of products to prevent and treat parasites in your cat. Our vets and nurses are always happy to discuss your individual cat’s needs which will depend on their age and lifestyle.

Diets and feeding

The diet your cat follows can have a dramatic effect on its health. We believe that the best diet is one that has enough of all the individual nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, protein and fat) but also avoids excessive amounts of any one nutrient. We all know the dangers of too much salt or fat, but the correct balance of the other elements of the diet is just as important.

It is also important to feed a diet which is right for an individual’s age and lifestyle – a kitten’s needs are different from those of an elderly cat. The diet you feed can affect weight, dental disease, arthritis and many other issues. For example, we have diets for cats with kidney disease, hyperactive thyroid glands and cats who are regularly sick.

We will weigh your cat each time he comes to the surgery and are always happy to advise on weight and diets.

Our nurses run healthy pet clinics where they can weigh and body condition score your pet, advising you on the best diets to feed.

At Damson House Vets, we feed and recommend Hill’s pet foods as we believe that they make the healthiest and tastiest foods for your pet.

Healthy teeth and mouths

85% of cats have some dental disease by the age of 3.

We encourage cat owners to look after their pets’ teeth by daily brushing. We know that this is not always possible so we can advise you about mouthwashes and diets that may help.

Brushing your cat’s teeth daily is ideal because plaque and tartar can build up on the teeth very quickly causing bad breath, pain and gum disease. We now know that having a healthy mouth increases an animal’s life expectancy as the bacteria that cause gum disease can cause problems with internal organs too.

Despite regular tooth-brushing, professional dental treatment is often still needed and most cats will need their teeth scaling and polishing regularly to keep their mouths healthy. If teeth are fractured or have cavities, or if the gum disease is very severe, we may need to extract teeth.

If you need some help and advice our nurses can show you how to clean your pet’s teeth yourself at home. They are on hand to give advice, or answer any questions you have on dental care and the many different products now available for your pet.

Some facts about cats

• It has been scientifically proven that owning a cat is good for your health, stroking a cat can help relieve stress therefore decreasing blood pressure.

• A cat has more bones than a human being.

• Cats use their tails to help with balance.

• Cats see extremely well in the dark, better than humans.

• Female cats reach sexual maturity at round 6 months

• The average litter of kittens is between 2- 6 kittens.

• Purring does not always indicate a cat is happy, cats will also purr if distressed.